


Not Exactly According to Plan

by FudgingPastry



Series: That God AU [9]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - No Sburb/Sgrub Sessions, Flushed Romance | Matesprits, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-26
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-03-19 17:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3617460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FudgingPastry/pseuds/FudgingPastry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Karkat goes to the shop when he finds a metal-forged rose at the entrance. There's only one person he knows that can shape metal like that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Exactly According to Plan

You are a goddamn romance expert. You are the master of romance. Nothing sways you. You can do something so mildly romantic and everyone will be falling down at your goddamn feet like the king you are. The king of romance, that is.

At least, that’s what you tell yourself when you open your shop’s door and see the rose at your feet. You stare at it, your mind drawing a blank and you blink. It’s a rose. It’s a fucking rose. But… it doesn’t look right. It’s gray and when you pick it up it’s heavy in your hands. You turn it over in your hands, careful of the perfectly forged, tiny thorns that line the stem’s length. You study it and you’re amazed at how perfect it is. It’s just a hunk of metal, but it’s so much more in the shape he made it in. And you know who made it, even before you see his signature on the bottom of a petal.

You wonder how long he spent on it. You wonder if his back is in pain from bending over this project for Muse knows how long. You hear a cow moo behind you and you spin around to see Tavros passing by your shop on his way to take the herd out. You wave back and slip into your shop. You place the rose gently down by your workbench and you begin on the shoes you received last night.

Every so often you glance back at the rose and once this pair is gone and back in the hands of its owner, you pick up the rose and run your fingers down it. Your cheeks grow hot and you have to set it down and pace around for a little before you can look at it again, let alone get back to work.

Equius had been doing this for a while now. Ever since the two of you had come back from the shrines when you had your… little breakdown with Gamzee. It had been weeks now, but Equius had been stopping by the shop more and more now just to talk to you. At first you were suspicious, but you’re used to it by now. Speaking of which, he should be walking through that door pretty soon. You busy yourself with polishing one of the pairs you have, ignoring the way your cheeks flush when the shop’s door opens. You look up and there he is. He glances around your workshop and you can see that he’s visibly sweating again. You frown, wondering what has him so worked up.

“Spent too long in that oven you call your house? You’re sweating more than usual, you giant sack of bones.”

“Uh no, I,” he pauses and you know his gaze is stuck on the rose by your bench. You reach over and pick it up, smiling sweetly. Okay, and maybe a tad mischievous. Can’t let him think that you’re won over that easily.

Even if you are. And you’re completely ignoring the way your heart does a little flip when you see his shoulders relax. Yup, that’s definitely not a thing that’s happening. Not whatsoever.

“I see that you got my gift… Vantas.” You frown a little at the formal use of your name. You told him to drop it and call you by your first name. You still remember how he reacted when you told him that. He jumped and he was red right down to his shoulders and he stuttered something about how he couldn’t possibly do that. People might think that they were… you know. You had leaned back and replied, “Fucking?” Oh gods, you’re pretty sure he blushed right down to his toes!

You chuckle at the memory and then remember that he’s still standing there. Oh fuck, it looks like he actually asked you a question too. Shit, shit, shit.

“Could you repeat that? I don’t think it wriggled its way into my brain with how you said it.”

“Oh, I. I said that I hope that it is to your liking, Va— I mean, Karkat.”

You’re honestly surprised. You expected him to keep using your last name until you smacked some sense into him – not that you wouldn’t enjoy that – but hearing him call you Karkat makes your hands tremble. You feel like you’re going to melt into the floor. Fucking hell, you are the king of romance. This sweaty heap of shit shouldn’t be making you feel like this. Fuck, his voice even softened when he said your name.

He steps up to you and you have to lift your gaze to meet his. He shuffles nervously and lifts a hand to rub his neck. Oh gods, sweat’s trickling down his back and shoulders and you have to bite the inside of your cheek because working in the forge does wonders for his physique.

“Karkat?”

Oh fuck, you weren’t planning to fall this easily. This is not how you imagined it whatsoever. Not inside your shop, not with him just come out of his workshop – you’re sure you can see where the forge has singed him from its heat. But with his gift in your hands, you think it over and you guess that all those plans you made, you guess that you knew none of them would ever come true. At least, not exactly according to plan.

You lift the metal rose to your face as if to sniff it and then you lean up and catch his lips on yours. He stiffens in surprise and you pull back, smiling down at the rose.

“Yes. It is exactly to my liking, Equius.”


End file.
